Canning program connects with Elcho audience

ANTIGO — As growing season kicks in to high gear across Langlade County, gardeners took a few moments to connect with the latest safety information on canning and preserving Wednesday evening.

Elcho Connect, a free monthly educational program based at Elcho United Church of Christ, hosted Beth Meyer, FoodWise educator with the University of Wisconsin-Extension Langlade County, for a timely program on safe practices when preserving the garden’s bounty. The program came as home canners are firing up their equipment to make jams and jellies, and soon, preserve garden bounties such as tomatoes, beans and so much more.

“You’ve taken all the time to grow these great gardens,” Meyer said. “Now it is important to preserve it safely.”

Meyer, backed by publications and pamphlets vetted by the University of Wisconsin food preservation experts, walked the audience through the steps in proper preservation.

“Don’t take any shortcuts,” she stressed. “That is number one.”

That means, don’t follow those age-old practices that may have been used by forebearers if the methods have been disproven by food scientists.

“Just because no one ever got sick doesn’t mean they were safe,” Meyer stressed.

That elevation matters is something that came as a surprise to her audience, Meyer noted that the elevation of Elcho is 1, 631 feet above sea level, and that matters when timing recipes in a pressure canner. Most recipes are figured using sea level when determining boiling points and canning times but the UW-Extension publications take into account the higher elevations. Pressure canning at sea level should be done at 10 pounds, for example, while at Elcho’s level, that increases to 11.

She urged everyone to obtain the most recent publications, either at the UW-Extension office located at 1225 Langlade Road, the county’s health service center, or online.

Meyer brought along the equipment and tested pressure canner gauges brought by participants, another key safety feature that home canners should have done every year or so.

While safety was the focus, Meyer said fun and satisfaction was the key.

“Who doesn’t love doing the canning, taking out the jars, lining them up on the countertop and just enjoying your work for a few days,” she said. “And there’s that satisfying ping, ping when the can seals.”

And that ping always requires a thank you.